Chapter 13: Separation

This is a short chapter, and is more of an internal one, but I still think it's important. Read and enjoy! Don't forget to review!

Warning: This is rated M. Do I still have to put this?

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto...sadly...

"The birds of hope are everywhere, listen to them sing." ~Terri Guillemets

Sasuke woke up to a white ceiling. He was in the school hospital. It hurt to move, but he sat up anyway. He looked around for Naruto, but then suddenly remembered what had happened. So instead of making eye-contact with his brother, he looked down at his hands clenching the off-white sheets. He could feel the pulsing pain in his side and chest.

"Sasuke" his brother said suddenly, breaking the thick air of silence. Sasuke refused to look up at his brother, keeping his eyes glaring onto his hands. "Sasuke!" Itachi nearly shouted at his brother. Sasuke flinched a little bit, but stayed staring at his hands. Silence filled the room once again. "Sasuke, I need you to tell me what happened." Sasuke was still silent. It was a silence that seemed to last hours, when it really only lasted minutes. "Sasuke!"

Sasuke jerked his head up to his brother. "What?! What can I do?!"

"Tell me what happened Sasuke." Itachi said, keeping a calm voice. He understood. He would feel these same emotions if Kyuu was taken from him.

"And what the fuck can you do about it?! What can you do about anything?!"

"I want to get him back for you."

Sasuke stared intently at his hands. He took deep calming breaths, but every time he thought about Naruto's tears spilling from his eyes, he lost control again. He squeezed his eyes shut, but then he could remember the feeling of that last kiss. Sasuke felt himself about to break until he felt a hand on his head. He looked up to see Itachi smiling at him. He really looked at Itachi this time.

His brother was disheveled. His usually well kept hair was fraying out crazily from its attempted pony-tail. His eyes were dull, and a little blood-shot. Sasuke knew his brother had been crying, and Sasuke could understand why. There were dark circles under his eyes, which led Sasuke to question how long he had been unconscious. He hadn't noticed it at first, but he stunk a little bit, which means that Itachi hadn't showered in a while. He looked truly exhausted.

"Sasuke. Listen to me." Sasuke snapped out of his thoughts and listened to his brother. "You have already lost so much. I'm not going to let you loose Naruto too." Itachi sighed. "Sasuke..." a silent pause filled the room, bouncing off the concrete walls harshly. "You were finally happy, and I won't let you loose that happiness." Sasuke looked up at his brother, and saw such determination in his eyes. "I promise you this Sasuke. I will die to protect you and your happiness." Itachi reached his hands over, making sure not hurt Sasuke's wounds, and pulled his brother into a hug. Sasuke found his nose resting on his brother's chest, and he closed his eyes.

He found a temporary strength to speak. "American foster father." Sasuke choked out, gripping the sheets and stealing all of the strength Itachi was trying to give him. "John Lucas." Sasuke gave up. That was all he could choke out. Itachi pulled away, holding firmly onto Sasuke's shoulders.

"I will bring him back." Itachi said. Sasuke went back to looking at his white knuckles and white sheets. Itachi set his hand on Sasuke's head, rubbing a moment, before exiting the room.

Outside, he saw Kyuubi, leaning against the wall beside the door. Itachi shut the door behind him, before walking over to his lover. His hair was ruffled up, and his eyes were bloodshot. Itachi knew the only reason why Kyuubi wasn't still crying was because he simply didn't have the strength anymore. Itachi grabbed Kyuubi, pulling him close and kissing him deeply. He pulled away, looking him in the eyes, those bloodshot eyes surrounded by a slightly puffy face.

"Take care of my brother." Itachi said before beginning to walk away.

Kyuubi let his hand follow, grabbing onto Itachi's sleeve. "I love you Itachi."

Itachi smiled a sad smile, turning around and kissing his lover deeply once more. "I love you too."

With that, Itachi turned around and left the hospital.

It took a week for Sasuke's wounds to heal enough to go back to home. It was painful. Sasuke could feel some sort of insomnia setting in. Every time he closed his eyes, he say Naruto, and the tears rushing down his face. Instead of sleeping, he opted to stay awake. No matter what Kyuubi did, Sasuke wouldn't sleep. The doctors prescribed sleeping medicine, and continually increased the dose, but no kind of drug could make Sasuke sleep. On the last day of his hospital stay, the doctors brought in a psychologist, who ultimately determined that it was Sasuke's emotional pain that kept him awake, not physical. No amount of drug could make Sasuke sleep.

It was after that diagnosis that the doctors released Sasuke to rest at home.

Kyuubi followed Sasuke to his room, standing in the doorway for a moment. He watched Sasuke stand in the middle of the room before determining there were just some things he couldn't do. He left Sasuke in the room, closing the door behind him.

Sasuke looked around the room. It was so ironic now. Last August, this room was his only sanctuary, but now it was his prison. Maybe it was both. It held the memories of his lovely blond, the scent, the stuff. It was mocking him, yet comforting him. He took a step over to Naruto's bed, which was still on the other side of the room. A memory hit him. They had plans to move their beds together, but felt like a small bed gave them the excuse to snuggle. Sasuke took another step towards the bed. The memory of his cute sleeping form snuggling Kitsune smacked him in the face. He braced the force and took another step. The memory smashed into him this time, it almost made him jolt in his steps a little bit.

The memory of swimming together. The way he had braced his scar boldly, like he had strength. How he had faked strength, but it had given him courage. Naruto had given him the courage to look in the mirror, look at his scar and know it was unchangeable. Clothes could cover the jagged scar, but nothing can change that it's there, and Naruto taught him that. Even though the blond himself didn't have courage to show his scars, he gave Sasuke courage to boldly wear his. Sasuke had learned to wear his past, knowing Naruto wouldn't judge him or see him any differently. And Sasuke had just showed Naruto when he was taken away from him.

How many steps was it to get to his bed? How many memories were there? Sasuke took another step toward the bed, collapsing from the memory. His body hung off the bed. It was the most painful memory. The way Naruto touched him. How Naruto touched his lips when they kissed. The way Naruto gripped onto Sasuke's shirt for dear life. The way Naruto would set his hand on Sasuke's chest in his sleep, slightly breathing out Sasuke's name. The smile that would touch his heart in the softest way.

Sasuke crawled up on Naruto's bed, pulling Kitsune toward him, and holding him tightly. Sasuke wanted to cry, but his heart was almost empty. It was like there was a black void where his heart used to be. Like his heart was ripped out of his chest, or shot away and lay on the grass beside a bullet-shell. Sasuke could almost feel the dripping blood inside his chest from where his heart used to be. It was the most painful and empty feeling he had ever felt. It was more intense than when he lost his family.

When he lost his family, he still had Itachi. Itachi had always treated him the best. Itachi had filled the role of mom, of dad, of aunt, uncle, grandma, grandpa, cousin, distant relative, family friend in need of shelter, and still maintained the trustworthy brother as well. Itachi became his family when Sasuke was in his darkest days. But now, Naruto had become something Itachi could never be. Naruto had become the sun, the light, that Sasuke had lost long before his family was lost.

Sasuke closed his eyes, digging in his past for a memory he might remember now that his family isn't always plaguing his thoughts. A memory that had been long suppressed, and after many hours of digging, Sasuke came up with a faint memory. He dug, and the memory became clearer and clearer.

Sasuke was young, around three or four years old. He had run away from his home for the day again, and found himself in a park. He saw a blond boy, and ran over to him.

"Hey! That's my swing!" Sasuke shouted in his childish voice.

"Too bad! I was here first!" the blond had said, sticking his tongue out.

That's how it all started. Sasuke and the blond had become friends and played in the park every day, pushing each other on the swing and running around in the grassy fields. For weeks they played and talked. One day, it started raining, and they ran for cover under the playground till the rain stopped. They both sat down, expecting it to rain for a while.

"You know, it seems like here's the only place I'm needed." Sasuke said, looking out at the rain.

The blond looked at Sasuke, pulling his hand under the cover after feeling the rain fall. "I know what you mean completely."

"It's strange though. I'm just so happy here, but at home I'm not."

"Me too."

"Sometimes, I want to run away. Nobody would miss me anyways."

It was silent. The blond looked out at the rain before looking back at Sasuke. He smiled brightly. "I would miss you!"

Sasuke snapped his head at the blond, staring at him a moment. He couldn't keep the smile off his face. It was small, but pure. "I would miss you too." He snapped his head away. "Just so you know!" He said, sticking his nose up in the air.

The blond smiled widely. "And that makes me the happiest person on the planet!"

Sasuke looked at the blond, and couldn't hold down the smile. They smiled together for a few minutes.

"You know something?" Sasuke said suddenly.

"What's that?"

"I don't even know your name yet."

"Well, I don't know yours either mister!"

Sasuke chuckled and the blond laughed loudly.

"My name is Sasuke." he said, looking at the blond, into his beautiful blue eyes.

"Mine's-"

"Naruto..." Sasuke whispered to himself, holding Kitsune closer to him. No matter how hard Sasuke tried, he couldn't cry. His body wouldn't release the tears. So instead, he curled up, breathing in the sweet scent of the blond. It had been so long since their childhood together, but Sasuke knew that the reason he always held out was because he was in love with the sparkling blond. Even at such a young age, Sasuke knew. And it killed him when Naruto didn't show up one day at the park, and after the massacre, he didn't remember the blond at all.

The blond's smiling face flashed in his eyes. Sasuke breathed in the scent and squeezed Kitsune. "Naruto."

"I don't know how long he'll last like this." Kyuubi announced once he got into the meeting room. He looked over the room. Everybody had bloodshot eyes, even Gaara. "We need to do something."

"What can we do? We're just kids." Ino said, not daring to lay down like usual. Everybody looked at her. "When you think about it, we're so powerless. All we can do is sit around and wait for Itachi to bring Naruto home. We can't do anything to help. We just have to wait while Naruto is probably being tortured, and Sasuke gets more and more suicidal with every passing moment."

It was silent. "She has a point." Gaara said, a few gasping that Gaara actually agreed with Ino, or anybody for that matter. "We are just kids, but we can do one thing." Everybody looked at Gaara, waiting for this idea. "Let's leave Naruto to Itachi. We need to make sure Sasuke is still here when Naruto gets back." Gaara looked around at everybody.

"I really don't have positive or negative feelings about Sasuke" Kiba said, "But Naruto is important to me. And I know that Naruto would go all Romeo and Juliet if Sasuke died. It wouldn't be pretty. Naruto's been through so much."

"Are you trying to say Sasuke hasn't been through a lot?" Gaara snapped.

"Maybe I am!" Kiba shouted.

In an instant, Gaara and Kiba were at each others necks. Gaara grabbed the collar of Kiba's shirt, pulling him close. "Take it back jackass."

"Let's face facts" Kiba snarled. "Sasuke was never raped."

A fire lit in Gaara, and he held Kiba out, punching Kiba in his face as hard as he could. Kiba hit the ground in seconds. "How do you know. Sasuke can't even remember anything before the massacre. Years of his life lost to the drip of blood on the wall. He has perfect memory, but he has amnesia. If he was, even he wouldn't remember."

It was silent.

"I do remember." Sasuke said from behind Kyuubi. Everybody visibly jumped. Everybody stared at Sasuke. "I do remember. I don't remember everything, but i remember Naruto. I remember his smile. I remember his words. He said he would miss me. Did he miss me? Does he miss me? I miss him."

Gaara's form relaxed from it's violent stance and walked over to Sasuke. "So you finally remembered. The blond you always talked about."

Gaara put a hand on Sasuke's shoulder. "Ya. I remember."

"I know he misses you Sasuke." Gaara paused. "I'm positive."

Sasuke looked down, nodding and grunting in agreement.

Naruto looked out the plane window. All he saw was endless land. As far as the horizon stretched. Flat, never ending plains of brown and green. He was lost in his thoughts. Thoughts of Sasuke. Sasuke was gone. Naruto knew by the way Sasuke lay, crumpled on the ground bleeding out, that he was dead. It killed Naruto to think the thought. It killed him that Sasuke was dead. He didn't have a purpose anymore. Naruto couldn't bring himself to shed tears. Maybe it was fear because his foster father sat beside him.

They never even got the opportunity to become one. To make love. Naruto used to cringe at the thought, but when it came to Sasuke, it didn't scare him. Naruto knew Sasuke would never hurt him and that comforted Naruto. Naruto truly loved Sasuke, but maybe Sasuke didn't love Naruto. Maybe Naruto was just making up things in his head. No. Naruto knew Sasuke better than Sasuke knew himself. Sasuke would never play Naruto like that.

It didn't matter now anyways, because Sasuke was dead. Gone from this cruel planet. Sasuke was in a better place now, but he left Naruto all alone.

Naruto didn't even notice, but now the plane was landing, and they were exiting the plane. It all happened so fast. In no time, John was pulling up in front of a beautiful house, and then he was leading the way into the house. The second the door was closed, John gripped Naruto's arm tightly, and threw him into the wall. Naruto fell down, but got back up. He knew this mans ways. Stand up, or it's worse than ever.

The abuse just rained down on Naruto, and the only thing that kept him going was his memory. The memory of Sasuke's soft touch on his scars, the tender touch of his lips on Naruto's cheek while he cried. The passionate connection of lips when they kissed. Every kiss was their last. Every touch was their last. The only thing that gave Naruto his strength was the memory of the electricity. Now, there was no reason to go on except that Sasuke would want him to live on.

So Naruto had to live. Because Sasuke would want him to live.

Every second felt like years. It was the lowest time either had ever experienced. Emptiness. Not even the stars could give them hope. The memory of the other was a knife.

Itachi knew this. He would feel the same way if he lost Kyuubi. So he would do whatever it took to get Naruto back. He would jump oceans, fly across the world. Naruto was the most important person to Sasuke, and Sasuke was Itachi's only family. Itachi would restore happiness to Sasuke if it cost him his life.

Itachi had learned to be strong. Itachi had learned the importance of family when he no longer had any. He became the mom, the dad, the extended relatives and poor family friends. Itachi became everything so Sasuke could have a shot at letting go what he had seen that day. Itachi wished it was him instead, but nothing could ever make the memory go away. So Itachi would bring back Naruto.

This was one promise Itachi would never break.

Short chapter! Sorry! This is more of a filler chapter! I'll keep writing though! This chapter was 3,032 words! Please keep reviewing! I love you all!...^_^